The school of Image Arts, part of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada has had a face lift, or perhaps that should be a new face, to create the Ryerson Image Centre.
Diamond Schmitt Architects removed the dull old brick façade of the former brewery building and created a light-box media façade using white glass cladding. The cladding panels are then backlit using programmable LED panels to create a pixelated colour façade.
The actual programming of the lighting sequences is the really exciting part as commissions will be sought form artists and students, and even the public will be able to programme the façade using mobile devices.
The fact that the façade encourages the actual physical mastery of what is taught in the building is very interesting as architects are normally reduced to metaphor, or inspiring the building's occupants with dramatic space or views. Lets see what develops.
The façade has a double skin glass façade with the lighting system concealed between the two skins. The system was designed by Consullux Lighting with consultants Crossey Engineers and can reproduce 16.7M colours.
The scheme has won the Architectural Lighting magazine's 2012 Light and Architecture Design Award for best use of colour.
